Free The Beauty in Between: Too Close (A Beautiful Series Novella) by Lilliana Anderson

could only find my mother in the laundry, doing the
things that mums tend to do.
    “Who’s here?” I
asked her straight away.
    “Well, hello to
you too.”
    “Sorry mum –
Hi. Who’s car is outside?”
    “Yours.”
    “Are you
serious?”
    “I sure
am.”
    “Mum! Please
don’t take this the wrong way, but how did you get the money for a
car like that? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but if you’re in
debt for it, I’d rather you took it back and just got me an old
bomb.”
    She smiled
gently at me. “You’re very sweet to worry about the cost David. But
I assure you. I am not in debt one bit. It’s all yours, and it’s
all paid for.”
    “But mum? It’s
too much.”
    “No. It’s
exactly what you deserve,” she said, touching me lightly on my
cheek. “Now go and take it for a spin.”
    I stood there
for a moment, not sure if this was really happening. Was that car
seriously mine?
    “Go! The keys
are on the bench top.”
    All of a
sudden, I sprang into action, went and grabbed my keys and just
about bounded out the door.
    Running my
hands over the dark-blue paint job, I walked around the car to
check it out properly, while my mum stood in the doorway, watching
me happily.
    As I slid
inside, it still looked and smelled new. I practically sunk into
the leather seats as I sat back, taking in my surroundings.
    “Start her up!”
my mother yelled, beaming at me.
    Placing the key
in the ignition, I turned it, my chest vibrating when the V8 engine
grunted to life.
    I couldn’t stop
the smile from taking over my face. This was the most amazing thing
I had ever been given. Immediately, I reversed out of the driveway
and headed to Katrina’s house. She was the first person I wanted to
take for a drive.
    I pulled up to
the front of the house and tooted the horn to get their attention.
I saw the curtain in the lounge room pull to the side and Tom’s
face poke through. Straight after that, the front door opened and
out filed Tom, Katrina and Ethan.
    “Nice ride
mate,” Ethan said as they all looked over the car.
    “You going to
take us for a spin?” Tom asked, not waiting for my answer as he
slid into the front passenger seat.
    “Sure, hop in,”
I laughed.
    “It really is a
nice car David. Is this your Christmas gift from your mum?” asked
Katrina as she slid into the backseat with Ethan.
    “I guess so, it
was waiting for me when I got home this afternoon.”
    We went driving
for maybe an hour, talking and listening to music. It felt great to
have the freedom of my own car, and I was on a high for the rest of
the afternoon.
    When I got
home, my mum used her phone and took some pictures of me with it.
It seemed so strange to be enamoured over a tonne of metal, but I
smiled proudly. I loved that car.
    At maybe one
o’clock in the morning, I was woken up by a loud banging on the
front door. I could hear my mother get up and answer it, and I sat
up to listen and make sure everything was alright.
    “You gave the
kid that car?!” the early-morning visitor yelled at my mother.
    “Yes, I did.
You gave it to me, and I gave it to him. I thought you’d be fine
with it.”
    “He’s a
seventeen-year old kid. Give him your old car.”
    “God, I should
have known you’d react like this. I never should have sent you that
picture. Can’t you just be happy for your son?”
    “No I can’t.
Tell him can’t have the car.”
    “You lost the
right to tell me what to do when you walked out of here. Go home.
You’re drunk.”
    “You’re an
ungrateful bitch, and you’ve raised an ungrateful bastard of a son.
I never should have given it to you. I’ll go home, and I’ll take
the fucking car with me. I’m the one who won it. I’m the one who
gets to say who drives it!” he slurred.
    “This is a
joke. You're not touching the car. The least you can do after
deserting your son is to let him have it. It’s the first bit of
‘assistance’ you’ve given us in three years. Stop trying to